1264 April 16, 2025 Tweaking The RV

We had the alarm set for 5:30am.  We got up and began preparing the RV for service.  We cleaned all the food out of the fridge and freezer and packed our coolers.  We put our overnight things in the Jeep and then at 6:45 we drove to Service Bay #33.  The enormity and scope of this business enterprise is astounding.  We pulled into our bay and stood in the largest shop I have ever seen.  It was clean and well-lit and organized and impressive. We were greeted by Victor.  He is our technician.  He was extremely well informed, professional, and knowledgeable.   He reviewed our list of concerns and he welcomed us to come and see him anytime to check on the status of our rig.  He also promised to call at the end of the day to give us an update.  He expects our rig to be with him for two full days.

The purpose and mission of Tiffin is clearly customer centered with an emphasis on the quality of their product. 

It was just after 7am and we had the whole day before us.  We found Lost Pines Coffee Shop.

We walked in the town of Red Bay. 

We were ducked!

This place had its humble beginnings with the railroad that ran through. 

We passed the Sunshine Mills factory.  There was a strong odor coming from the plant which neither Tim nor I could identify.  We asked someone and found out that it was a dog food factory.  We realized that outdoors it smelled like the inside of a bag of Purina Dog Chow!

We ate breakfast in a parking lot and then decided to go for a drive.  We went one mile and we were in Mississippi.  We traveled to the town of Belmont.  From there, we saw a sign to Nachez Trace and we took it for several miles. 

We saw another sign for Bay Springs Lake.  We went to see the dam and lock. This is part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. This project joins 12 rivers into a navigable route. The barges that use this waterway travel more than 200 miles to the Port of Mobile on the Gulf Coast.

This old log cabin was relocated when the reservoir was filled.

We ate lunch by the lake.

This morning, we noticed that there were lots of Tiffins on the road but there were also a lot of logging trucks.  While we were out today, we followed lots of full trucks and we wondered where they were headed.  We passed a huge log yard.  There were more than a dozen tractor trailers lined up and waiting to be unloaded.  We could see the log pile from the road.  Tonight, on Google Earth, we were able to see the whole operation.  There is a crane that offloads the lumber into a huge circle.  The lumber is ground into chips and loaded onto barges that float down the river though a series of locks.

We were able to check into our hotel a little early.  We had a busy day and we were eager for our quiet time.

This evening, we went to Casa Fiesta for a delicious meal of spinach, chicken and mushroom enchiladas…so good! We were full and decided to walk. We found the local high school, home of the Red Bay Tigers and we walked the track. This gorgeous stadium is for a school that has 319 students in grades 6-12.

We had a full and busy day.

1263 April 15, 2025 Bob’s World

I though the park today.  It was a beautiful spring morning.  This is absolutely my favorite time of the year.  I love the new green leaves just popping out on the trees. 

We were in the road again by 9am.  We drove mostly on interstates. 

We arrived at the Bob Tiffin Service Center in Red Bay, Alabama in early afternoon.

We purchased our new rig in June of last year and we are here to have a few warranty issues fixed.  Our appointment is for tomorrow at 7am.  We were fortunate to get the last RV camping spot right at the service facility.  There are about two hundred Tiffin coaches in the campground, the 50 service bays, and in the large lot around the repair facility. It is an impressive operation.

We spent today getting ready to close The RV for a couple of days.  We cleaned and packed for a short hotel stay.

This evening, we had eggs and toast for dinner…still trying hard to clear out the refrigerator.

We took the Jeep and drove through town.  We passed Tiffin Supply Co. , Tiffin Lumber Yard, the Tiffin Manufacturing Facility, and the Tiffin Appliance Company. Bob owns this town!

We went to get a couple for groceries and then we went to the carwash.

We will see what we can find to occupy ourselves for the next two or three days.

1262 April 14, 2025 Oak Mountain State Park

I walked down the country lane this morning.  Cool and crisp and lovely.

We spent a lot of time driving/riding today.  We left Dothan and traveled through Montgomery and then picked a place to stay just south of Birmingham.  We would have loved to have stopped in Montgomery. 

There are so many things to see; the National Memorial for Peace, The Legacy Museum, Rosa Parks Museum, the Civil Rights Memorial Center, and a nice Riverfront Park.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a way to park the RV anywhere in the city and so we drove on by.  Next time we will stay close and see the city. 

We arrived at Oak Mountain Sate Park at around 2pm.  We spent a quiet afternoon.

I grilled chicken pad Thai for our dinner.

We took the Jeep and went down to the lake.  This is the largest state park in Alabama.  It is very pretty and there is lots to do.  Maybe we will have to come back!

1261 April 13, 2025 Folklore Brewing

My walk this morning took me along the coast on Mashes Sand Road.  There was a nice paved bike path on a quiet backroad. 

We dawdled this morning.  We didn’t have that far to drive and we couldn’t check in until after 1pm.  That was further complicated by the fact that we would be entering the Central Time Zone in the panhandle of Florida.

We began our ride in the country and we passed through Apalachicola National Forest.  We began to see cattle and farmland.  Then we got on Interstate 10 for a long way.  We stopped at a rest area in Cottondale and stalled again, we had lunch and walked and Tim took a nap.

We crossed into Alabama and shortly after that, we arrived at our destination, Folklore Brewing and Meadery in Dothan.  We were met by Uncle Kenny in his blue golfcart and escorted to our site.  This business is associated with Harvest Hosts. 

When we first got here, there was a trade circle happening. People came with stuff they wanted to get rid of or trade and they went from table to table negotiating for things they were interested in having. No money exchanged hands…just deals between neighbors.

There was a guy selling boiled peanuts; a southern specialty that Tim remembers from his youth. We bought a cup to share. They were salty and meaty and tasted more like beans than nuts.

Tim was happy that he could watch the NASCAR race while sipping a nice porter.  I joined him a while later and had mead for the first time.  Mead is fermented honey with added water.  It was quite tasty.  Blue Moon Café provided Cajun dinner choices.  Tim sampled etouffee and I had a shrimp po’boy. 

We enjoyed chatting with Doyle, the owner’s dad.

We went out to the RV and soon, Uncle Kenny came down to water his butter beans and zucchini.  He and Tim are outside talking about all kinds of things. 

The hosts here have been so kind and have made us feel very welcome.  Uncle Kenny said “Tonight, this is your backyard and we want you to make yourselves at home!”

1260 April 12, 2025 Worm Gruntin’

I walked back and forth to Keaton Beach.

We are moving north and west again today.  We took the Nature Coast Big Bend Scenic Highway.  Our route took us through forest and wildlife refuges.  We arrived at Holiday Campground in Panacea, Florida just after noon.

By one o’clock, we were on our way to Sopchoppy.  Today the town was hosting the Worm Gruntin’ Festival…the what???  Excuse me???  The woman from the campground here told us all about it.  In 2009, Mike Rowe from the show Dirty Jobs did a segment on worm grunting.  A wooden stake is driven into the dirt.  A metal bow is used to grind against the top of the stake creating vibrations in the ground.  The worms sense the vibrations and flee to the surface of the soil.  The vibrations simulate the presence of a ground mole an earthworm predator.  The worms are harvested and used for fishing bait. Tim’s family had a similar method of drawing worms to the surface.  His father taught him to pound two screwdrivers into the ground a short distance from one another.  Next, they used a half of an extension cord.  One wire was wrapped around each screwdriver.  The cord was plugged into an outlet and the shockwaves caused the worms to come up.  At the festival, there was an area where children were practicing their skill.  Somewhere in the woods, adults were competing for prizes.

The festival definitely had a worm theme.  There were chocolate covered gummy worms and gummy worms “crawled” out of all the baked goods.

There were lots of craft vendors with very beautiful pieces.

We sat and talked with a local couple and listened to some live music. 

We got a big fresh lemonade to share and headed back to Panacea. We drove across the bridge and out to Bald Point.

We had omelets and fresh garlic bread for dinner.

After our meal, we hopped on our bikes and cycled on the very nice bike path the runs parallel to 98.

One last sunset over the Gulf.

Tomorrow we will drive north toward Montgomery, Alabama.

1259 April 11, 2025 Hagen’s Cove And Tide Swamp

I walked from the campground to the local beach area and then did a second lap for more than 2 ½ miles.  All along I could hear machines moving, chain saws, drills, the whine of circular saws; people were working on their houses and properties.

We took our bikes and rode on the bike trail.  We saw this small 2-foot alligator.

We passed the boat pushed among the trees.

We took the side road to the small community of Cedar Island.  More mangled remains of houses.   Everywhere we looked something was irrevocably broken. 

We took a second side trip to Dark Island and Tim took this video.

We cycled almost 9 miles.

For lunch, we packed a cooler and drove to Hagen’s Cove Recreation Area.

Willets in the water.

On the way out, we spotted this bald eagle sitting in a dead tree.

We drove further to Big Bend Wildlife Management Area – Tide Swamp Unit.  We took gravel roads down to a boat ramp and then through the backcountry.

We got on Hog Root Road and had the windows open and hit a mosquito hot spot and they were flying in and swarming and we were swatting and Tim was trying to back us out of there and turn us around.  I put the windows up and killed as many as I could; blood and dead carcasses on my hands and arms and on the dashboard and windows.  It was pretty intense for a couple of minutes.  We drove out and as long as we kept moving, the mosquitoes didn’t bother us anymore!  I wish we had video of it…I am quite sure we looked panic stricken and ridiculous!

We followed the roads for miles.  We had taken a picture of the park map at the entrance and we knew we were making a large loop back to the highway.  At the last turn, there was a locked and chained yellow metal gate.  Tim got out to try to open it but it was definitely locked.  We turned around and went back the way we had come…we did NOT go back onto Hog Root Road!

Cormorant on a post.

This evening, we went to Nowhere Grille for dinner.

We had good food and then we were waiting for the live music to begin at 6:30. Just minutes before the show was supposed to begin, there was a drenching downpour. The wind was blowing the rain into the outdoor seating area. We stood by the bar to stay warm and dry. We decided to go back to the RV. The sky was dark and threatening and we got a tornado warning alert on our GPS.

By sunset, things had calmed down. The winds laid down and the water was still. Last night here in Keaton Beach.

1258 April 10, 2025 Helene’s Destruction In Big Bend

I walked on County Road 326 adjacent to the campground.  It was another lovely walking morning. 

We packed up and left by 9am.  We traveled through the town of Chiefland where we stopped for supplies and groceries.

We stopped again in the town of Steinhatchee.  As we drove, we could see more evidence of hurricane damage.  Piers and docks were destroyed.  Trees were snapped in half.  Roofs were missing and there was building material hanging in treetops.  We pulled over in a large lot and had our lunch. 

We arrived at Old Pavilion RV Park in Perry, Florida shortly after lunchtime.  This campground is in the Big Bend region in Tyler County.  Hurricane Helene hit here as a category 4 hurricane with 140mph winds.  We knew from speaking with the owner that this campground had only been reopened in the past several weeks.  The pier is missing here.  The man’s second story was ripped from his home.  The only reason that the house was still standing was because it was on 19-foot block pillars.  The storm surge here was 17 feet. 

We took a drive this evening and many homes and businesses were completely destroyed…wiped away…gone.

We took some pictures but they don’t convey the extent of the catastrophe.  It is six months after the storm and the wreckage and debris is still here.  There are full dumpsters and great piles of trash.  There was an ice machine washed up on the beach.  There is a DISH antenna in the surf.  Many homes are covered with blue tarps.  There is a toilet in the marina.

This boat was pushed up against the tree line more than ½ mile from the water.

These folks are tough and resilient and with determination and grit they are plowing through the bureaucracy and insurance and red tape and inspections necessary to rebuild their lives.  Some places are freshly painted and remodeled but they are not in the majority.  Seeing it firsthand left us without words…it is deeply disturbing and so very sad.  People have literally lost everything; taken by the wind and the sea.

Thousand of tiny crabs marching in their own parade.

We found this food truck and stopped to get dinner. We had amazing smoked ribs and I had broad beans cooked to pieces and Tim had collard greens.

This evening, we watched the sun kiss the water at 7:58pm from our site.

1257 April 9, 2025 Shell Mound Campground

Another perfect morning for walking; crisp air and abundant sunshine with a light breeze.  I walked large laps around the campground.  I saw tiny half dollar sized turtles in the pond.

Tim also walked and he had to run to get this picture of a snake crossing the road.

We left Cedar Key and drove 5 miles to the Shell Mound Campground.  We hiked near here yesterday and we were impressed by the pretty and serene ambience of the place.  We decided to return today and spend the night.  There are no hookups because of Hurricane Helene but it wasn’t hot at all and we will be fine for an overnight.

We walked down to the point at the boat ramp.

We took our lunch and ate out by the water.

We walked the Dennis Creek Loop Trail.

We had a quiet afternoon.

For dinner we had fresh corn on the cob, grilled barbecue shrimp, and we cut open that watermelon…luscious…all of it!

This evening, we watched the sunset over the estuary; peaceful and relaxing.

1256 April 8, 2025 Shell Mound And Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

It was chilly enough for long sleeves this morning and perfect for walking.  I walked one mile down the country lane adjacent to the campground and then one mile back.  This Ohio Spiderwort was blooming alongside the road.

We packed lunch and drove to Shell Mound.  Last time we were here the area was gated and closed.  Today, we were pleasantly surprised to find it open.  We parked at the boat ramp and took in the view.

We walked the Shell Mound Loop Trail.  We learned a lot about this area.  First of all, Cedar Key is so named because of the presence of lots of cedar trees.  Do you know what cedar trees are used for?  Pencils.  Cedar is a soft wood that does not splinter easily and it smells good.  This area was one of the first to manufacture pencils.  One cedar tree can produce as many as 300,000 pencils.  As we were walking through the woods, it smelled like pencil shavings!

This area is a protected archeological site.  Native Americans first settled here about 14,000 years ago.  The oyster was important to their culture for many reasons.  Most importantly it was a source of food along with fish and conch and other sea life.  The shells were also used for tools and containers.  The people figured out how to use the oyster shells to build seawalls.  These seawalls prevented erosion and were also used in fish trapping.  The remainder of the shells were collected to form a humongous mound.  It is estimated that this shell mound contains 1.2 billion oyster shells.  These mounds also elevated the land as much as 13 feet so that structures could be built out of the flood plain.  Much of this area would currently be underwater without the shell substrate.  The Native Americans realized that the right valve of the shell could be returned to the water to encourage the growth of the reef.  The left valve was deposited in the mound.  The habit of fostering the growth of the reef made harvesting the shellfish a sustainable practice.  This mound was situated to align with the sun at summer solstice.  It was used for ceremonies and rituals.

In 1970, a private landowner dug into the side of the mound with a bulldozer.  He used the shells to form a path.  Unfortunately, this was the fate of many shell mounds here in Florida.  The oyster shells were mined and used for fertilizer and aggregate.

It was amazing to walk on ancient and sacred ground and remember that people have been here long before us.

We drove to Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge and started at the South Entrance.  We meandered along the nature trail. 

We found a place near the water for our picnic.

There were many Virginia irises growing along the edge of the trees in the sandy and muddy ground.

We saw a white-tailed deer, some turtles, a red shouldered hawk, and songbirds.

We went back to the campground and enjoyed some quiet time. 

This evening, we drove into Cedar Key for dinner.  We ate at the Second Street Café/Steamers Restaurant.  One week before the third hurricane, there was a disastrous fire on Dock Street.  Several of the restaurants and shops were obliterated. 

Second Street Café and Steamers were two restaurants both owned by the same man.  He had the idea to use one of his properties to relocate and merge the two restaurants.  Second Street Café serves breakfast and lunch.  Steamers takes over for the dinner hour.  We had great food.

Meanwhile, in Reisterstown, David and his family flew in to visit with my mom and with Kyle and his family.  We are sad not to be there with everyone but we have plans to be in Atlanta soon.  We want to be there for Austin’s birthday.  At any rate, the family including my sister, Debbie and her husband Greg, all gathered tonight at Reter’s Crabhouse.  We got to FaceTime and say hi!

The cousins!

Tim and I walked out to the beach area.  We saw lots of dolphins.  They must have been following a school of fish and they were feeding.  They were jumping up out of the water and splashing and diving.  I think they may have been working together to herd and trap the fish.  We watched until they were far away.

We walked to loop from the beach and along Dock Street, across the bridge and back through town.

Tim stood on the front porch of this public building. He is marking the high water mark from the storm surge from Hurricane Helene. This building is 3 blocks from the waterfront.

More new art in the town.

We went to sit on a bench on the beach and saw the return of dolphins.

We also saw a single spoonbill.  He came in for a landing and startled a bunch of gulls.  They all took off together before the spoonbill parted from the group and flew off alone.

On our way back to the campground, we stopped at the public boat ramp at the Marine Research Center. It was really pretty looking out across the mudflats.

We had a fantastic day!

1255 April 7, 2025 Sad In Cedar Key

It was nice to walk in a new place.  This campground is really cute.  I went to check-in at the office this morning and they offered us a spot here for next winter.  I think I would rather be in the Keys…

We left around 9am.  We had a longer drive today; our destination was Cedar Key.

There was no easy path from central Florida to the coast.  There were ten different ways to go and they all involved a lot of wiggle waggle and navigation.  We worked our way steadily north and west until we arrived on the Suncoast Parkway.  We arrived at Cedar Key RV Resort at around 2pm.  It was 86 degrees and very windy.

We packed dinner and drove into Cedar Key.  We were last here in November of 2023.  Just a few months before, in August, Hurricane Idalia destroyed the town.  There was a lot of damage to the waterfront restaurants and shopping area.  When we got there before Christmas, the stores and restaurants were just beginning to reopen.  The following August, Hurricane Debby struck the town again.  There was more damage to the town businesses and infrastructure.  As the town was beginning again to recover, Hurricane Helene struck in September of 2024.  3 hurricanes in 13 months. The waterfront area is devastated.  I am not sure if they will ever be able to rebuild.  The area is so terribly broken.

The post office is boarded up and there is a post office on wheels in a parking lot.

There were multiple motels and homes that were in shambles.  There is still a lot of debris that needs to be cleared.  The drive through town was quite sobering.  The reality of the power of wind and 8-12 foot storm surges fully evident here.

The Community Park has been rebuilt with fresh paint on the pavilions and new playground equipment.  It seemed like it was important to the community to have the center of town look put together.

A new sculpture installation at the park.

The ibises were foraging for bugs in the grass.  The male has his mating season color on.

We saw large pink birds, spoonbills, flying near the shore.

More pelicans.

A wildly outlandishly decorated golf cart!

We left town and drove on a dirt road through the National Wildlife Refuge.  We immediately saw feral hogs.  There were two black and homely sows and we could see two small brown piglets.

We have another day to explore tomorrow.